On a picturesque day in Chicago, indie rock band Good Kid rang in the opening notes of summer with an incredibly dynamic and playful sold-out show at the Riviera Theatre on May 17. Alongside fellow indie rockers INOHA, the Toronto natives packed in as much audience interaction as possible for the largest venue they’ve ever sold out.

INOHA

INOHA may have been the opener but with the way they immediately won over the crowd, you could’ve thought it was their headlining show. With a similar high-energy, fun vibe to Good Kid, it’s no surprise many in the crowd were fans of this San Antonio-based group. Vocalist and guitarist Keanu Bicol, drummer Ricky Juarez, bassist Christian Young, and guitarist Gavin Gonzalez brought the first of many hair flips, jumps around the stage, and crowdsurfers.

The quartet’s set was filled with bops including their latest single “Checking Out” and my favorite track of theirs, “Heartbreak, Heartbreak.” The song is a twist on the classic heartbreak story, instead sharing the perspective of a jilted bro who just misses his homie that entered a new relationship. INOHA closed out the set with a fan favorite “Seventh Heaven”, off their 2024 album ALOHA INOHA.

Good Kid

To the confusion of us photographers and the security guiding us to the photo pit, Good Kid’s lead singer, Nick Frosst, first took the stage by himself sitting on a stool, book in hand, wearing sandals and glasses. He opened up a copy of “The Hobbit” asking the audience where they’d left off and began to read chapter seven.

After being dragged off stage by bandmate Jacob Tsafatinos, Frosst returned to the stage minutes later. This time he was joined by Tsafatinos on guitar, drummer Jonathon Kereliuk, bassist Michael Kozakov, and guitarist David Wood. Frosst was also in a change of clothes donning a painted leather jacket featuring song lyrics and a microphone in hand to perform “Wall” off the band’s debut studio album Can We Hang Out Sometime?, released April 3 of this year.

Between songs, bassist Michael Kozakov asked the crowd for a favor: to sing a song that’s been stuck in his head. His request resulted in a beautiful sing-a-long of the Backstreet Boys’ classic “I Want It That Way”! The band transitioned the iconic chorus “tell me why” into their own track, “Tell Me You Know” off their self-titled EP, released in 2018.

The audience also made their voices heard with a vote between the songs “Drifting” and “No Time to Explain”. The vote took place not with cheers or a raising of hands, but with Frosst on an inflatable raft floating atop the crowd. Frosst in his mighty ship landed on the “No Time to Explain” side, making it the next in the set.

A fan joined them on stage for the track “Osmosis” to play guitar — well, Guitar Hero that is! The fan went on to set the newest high score for the tour, missing only four notes throughout the song. Good Kid’s guitarist, Tsafatinos knighted him with the toy guitar and gifted it to the fan as proof of their achievements.

After bringing fans on stage, it was time to take the stage to the fans. For “Ground,” Frosst and Kozakov took up posts on opposite balconies to perform. This opening on stage gave guitarist David Wood his own moment to shine. He performed an unreleased acoustic track “Staying Warm”, a tribute to his love for his father.

As the show wound down, the crowd still had more to give. When Good Kid came back for their encore, they made it clear we’d have to earn it. Wielding an oversized twenty-sided die, Tsafatinos explained the roll would need to be high enough for them to continue to their encore. Not only was the roll high enough to meet his standards, it rolled a natural twenty which meant this sold-out Chicago crowd got four encore songs, not just three.

The encore included the live debut of “Alone With Me,” the only song from Can We Hang Out Sometime? the band hadn’t performed live yet. Good Kid closed out their set with the bright and playful “Mimi’s Delivery Service” off their 2023 EP Good Kid 3, a fitting end to a bright and playful set.

The house lights rose and we all exited the venue to the sweet sounds of the Backstreet Boys as “I Want It That Way” played over the venue speakers.